Wind deflector



Aug. 21, 1923. 1,465,894

B. c. CROWLEY WIND' DEFLECTOR Filed Dec. 19, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwuwntoz ZW attorney! Patented Aug. 21, 1923.

its arts mea er ATENr apec BENJAMIN o. CROWLEY, or DILLON, Mo TANA. j

WIND nnnLnc Ton.

' Application filed December 19, 1922. Serial No. 607,892.

tween two embankments,and the line of-ex tent of the tracks is, generally speaking, transverse to. the direction 1n wh1ch the wind will ordinarily blow in the localityin 7- which the tracks are laid, snow orsand will be blown onto the tracksand will accumu-- Where such drifts accumue late, it isnecessary to pend time, and labor late in; drifts.

in removing them'to clear the way for the rolling stock, Therefore,it is the primary object of the present invention to devise means whereby the wind currents. maybe deflected in such a manner as to sweep across ithe tracks and thus prevent accumulation of snow or sand rather than cause such accumulations. Therefore, the present invention contemplates the utilization of the 6 agency which naturallyv creates snow and sanddrifts under the conditions stated, to serve, in preference, as a medium for/preventing the formation of these drifts.

' Another object of the invention is to provide, for the purpose stated, a means which will be operative at all times after having been once installed and which will embody-r no moving parts liable to become disarranged and requlre-jattentlon and repair.

40 V In the accompanying drawings: w

Figure l v installed beside a track which track extends beside an embankment; r 1

Fig. 2 is a detail view .partly in rear elevation and partly in vertical section illustrating a portion of the structure;

Fig. 3 is-a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 3+3 of Fig.2;-

taken substantially on the line 4 "4: of- Fig.

2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 5 isqa view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the manner in which-the structure-is in-- Where railroad tracks I s a perspectlve' view illustratng the structure embodying the nvention F ig. {L is a detail transverse sectional view stalled where the tracks to be cleared are located between twolembankments or extend through a cut.

Generally speaking, the structure'embodyingtheinvent-ion comprises a winddeflectingsurfaceor shed which-is supported in f inclined position by a suitable underframe structure, the dispositionfof the deflecting surface being such thatzthe wind icurrents striking the underside of the same will be deiflected downwardly to sweep over and across the tracks and thus blow from thetracks any snow or sand which would otherwise be liable to accumulate :in drifts thereon.

- In the drawings the deflecting surface is indicated in general by the numeral 1 and i the same is preferably'made up of a number of sheet metal plates 2 of any desired dimensions. These plates may, for example,

-'be made ofgalvanized iron of any suitable gage, or they may be made of sheetiron and painted or otherwise-treated to protect them from rusting and deterioration. The plates are disposed V with their lateral edges' in *niutua'lly overlapped relation as: indicated by the numeral '3 and the overlapped mar gins of the plates are permanently secured :together by rivets or other fastening elements 4 which are secured therethrough. These fastening elements are also secured beneath the surface 1 and extending throughout the length of the overlapped margins of though one wing ;of angle bars '5 di-sposed' the plates 2; These angle bars, ofc ourse,

serve'as a reinforcing means for the plates at their lines of union, and it is also desirable to further reinforce the plates at this point r and also prevent their buckling or; similar strips 6'of bar metal or the like which are secured inplace by the rivets 4: as shown. clearly in Fig. tof'the-drawings; To fur-' ther reinforce the plates 2 comprising the deflecting surface 1 and particularly to brace and prevent the bucklin of the end edges of these plates, angle bars%are disposed upon the upper side ofthe'assemblage ofplates and extend-al0ngthe upper and lower margins of the deflecting surfaceas a-whol'el",

The under frame structure which supports 1 the; deflecting surface comprises two series of supporting uprights, one'series to be-lo:

coated in a more or less elevated position as,

distortion, b'y'di-sposing upon the upper'side of the deflecting surface 1, immediately above and coextensive with the'angle bars 5,

i1,465,894= V i 3 leeting surface, and in fact other parts thereof, may be made of wood if found expedient.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: I

1. Means for preventing the accumulation of snow or sand upon a thoroughfare comprising spaced series of uprights arranged one relatively adjacent the thoroughfare and the other more remote therefrom, the lastmentioned uprights extending to a greater elevation than the first-mentioned uprights,

V bracing bars extending between the upper portions of the first-mentioned uprights and the lower portions of the last-mentioned uprights and relatively bracing the uprights of the two series, and a wind deflecting surface supported upon the upper ends of the uprights in inclined position with relation to the surface of the thoroughfare.

2. In a structure of the class described, spaced series of parallel uprights, angle bars extending between the upper ends of the uprights in one series and the upper ends of corresponding uprights in the other series, a deflecting surface comprising sheets resting flat upon the frame structure thus provided and secured to said angle bars and a deflecting member secured to corresponding uprights below the said deflecting surface and arranged transversely to the series of uprights.

3. In a structure of the class described, spaced series of uprights,angle bars extending between the upper ends of correspond ing ones of the uprights in the series, and a deflecting surface comprising'metallic sheets disposed upon the frame'structure-thus pro vided and secured to said angle bars, the

sheets being arranged with their margins O overlapped, and strips'secured over the overlapped margins of the sheets and extending 7 above the angle bars.

4. In a structure of the class described, spaced series of uprights, bracket members fixed to the opposite sides ofthe uprights f and their upper and lower end portions, tierods fitted at their ends through the brack- 

